Ok, so I figured it was time that I drop in to say hello and tell you guys what’s been going on in my “non racing” world. Actually, I have really been enjoying my time off even more than I anticipated. I guess after nearly 14 years of traveling, a break was exactly what I needed. It’s been so nice to be home for every occasion that I’ve been missing for so many years. It’s funny when my friends and family call me and ask, “Angelle, will you be home the weekend of…” and I just laugh and say, “Yes, I’ll be home.” It’s funny because they are asking because they expect me to say “no,” or that “I have to check my race calendar,” and most of the time I would have a race on the weekend in question. But this time when they ask, I don’t even have to look… I just know I will be home. So some of what I’ve been up to is spending time with friends and family. I have been very fortunate to be able to help my mom and dad take care of my 95-year-old grandmother. Her name is Doris Sampey. She is my dad’s mom. My dad and his brothers and sister are taking turns having her for a little while at a time, and when she is at my parents house, I get to see her. Last visit, I styled her hair and did her makeup before we attended my nephew Logan’s 7th birthday party, an event that I would normally miss due to the Chicago or Englishtown race.

I’ve always found it amazing that my grandmother is 95 and still going strong, but I really freaked out when she told me what year she was born, I just hadn’t thought about it that way before. She said it was in 1914. I just can’t get a handle on that. Can you imagine? The progress she has witnessed… the technology, the changes, the births, and the deaths. It overwhelms me to think of what she has seen and experienced. The other night, I sat and wrote out our family tree just to see what lives have taken place because of her. It was pretty amazing to see how many people she and my late grandfather are responsible for. Both of my grandfathers passed several years ago, but both of my grandmothers are still doing great. I really am thankful for this time that I am getting to spend with both of them. I am including a picture of the two: Doris Sampey, 95, on the left, and Helen Hartman, 86, on the right.

Another thing that has been taking up most my time is my studying. I am back in school to get my RN license reinstated. I have to take a Registered Nurse refresher course because I’ve been out of the field for so long. I want to get my license reinstated regardless of whether or not I return to racing. I know that sponsors come and go and racing can end for so many different reasons, so I want to have another option open. I was talking to a friend the other day. He says that he’s anxious to hear about the day I get a patient that is a diehard NHRA race fan. He say’s he can just imagine the patients face when I walk into the room and introduce myself as his or her nurse. I thought about it, and I kinda hope it happens. If my racing can help to make someone’s stay in the hospital a better experience, then I’m all for it.

When I am not studying or catching up with family, I have been continuing to work on Seth’s and my business, Coral Fever. I’ve added lots of items to our online store at www.coralfever.com. I’ve also changed up my website at www.goangelle.com. I have some more to do, but I only get to work on that stuff in small increments of time. Business is slow right now, just like everything with this economy, but Seth and I are very passionate about our aquariums and we do it more for the passion than for the business, but it sure would be nice for it to be profitable in the long run.

Speaking of Seth, as most of you who read my blogs know, he is a Combat Medic in the Louisiana National Guard, and the other day he was assigned to work with recruiting at the New Orleans D-Day museum for the World War II Memorial Celebration. He called and asked me to meet him downtown. I was studying but decided that I needed a break. I drove him and three other soldiers to lunch at “Mothers,” a place that I highly suggest if you ever make it to “The Big Easy.” After he was done at the museum, a few of us went to my friends pub called “Maguires” on Magazine Street, where we met some World War II vets. Then we went to the New Orleans French Market, then stopped in at Jimmy Buffets “Margaritaville” and finally ended the day with some great Sushi in the French Quarter before heading back home. It was an unplanned day that ended up being one of the greatest I’ve had in a while. Seth and I have lots of fun together and I also enjoy being with soldiers AND I love downtown New Orleans. It was a very blessed day!

So I have to admit that although I am still unemployed and I hate to study and life without racing could be construed as no life at all, I do find myself extremely happy and extremely relaxed and most importantly of all, EXTREMELY BLESSED!!

Just as I said in an earlier post, God has put me exactly where he wants me and I know that he has a plan for me. Still don’t know exactly what that plan is or when it is going to be put into action, but as far as I am concerned, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that’s why we call it “The Present!” And I am making the most of each day I am given.

I hate to end this with such sorrow, but I want to let you guys know that my cousin Eric Matherne passed away a few days ago. He was only 27 years old. It was an accident that took his life at such a young age. This is why I consider each day a gift. We just never know when it’s going to be our last. My friends, family and I have experienced a lot of loss in the past few months. I sure wouldn’t mind a break from that too! As usual, I would like to ask for your prayers for Eric’s family and friends. Coping with such an unexpected loss is so tough and prayers are greatly needed and always appreciated!

Until next time,..... God Bless you all, and remember to enjoy the present!

It’s Boudreaux time!!
This one is a little long, but it’s funny.

The IRS decides to audit Boudreaux, and summons him to the IRS office. The IRS auditor is not surprised when Boudreaux shows up with his attorney. The IRS had demanded $23,000 in taxes from Boudreaux due to unreported income.

The auditor says, “Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, which you explain by saying that you win money gambling. I’m not sure the IRS finds that believable.”

“I’m a great gambler, and I can prove it,” says Boudreaux. “How about a demonstration?”

The auditor thinks for a moment and said, “Okay. Go ahead.”

Boudreaux says, “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.”

The auditor thinks a moment and says, “No way! It’s a bet.”

Boudreaux removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor’s jaw drops.

Boudreaux says, “Now, I’ll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.”

The auditor can tell Boudreaux isn’t blind, so he takes the bet. Boudreaux removes his dentures and bites his good eye.

The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand, with Boudreaux’s attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous.

“Want to go double or nothing?” Boudreaux asks. “I’ll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk, and pee into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop anywhere in between.”

The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there’s no way this guy can manage that stunt, so he agrees again.

Boudreaux stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can’t make the stream reach the wastebasket on other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the desk.

The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win. But Boudreaux’s attorney moans and puts his head in his hands.

“Are you okay?” the auditor asks. “Not really,” says the attorney. “This morning, when Boudreaux told me he’d been summoned to appear in person before the IRS, he bet me twenty-thousand dollars that he could come in here and urinate all over your desk and that you’d be happy about it.”